1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network print system including a server generating print data from electronic data received from a client apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a client) and an image forming apparatus printing the print data. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multifunctional image forming apparatus used in the network print system that can save user's troubles in the process of transmitting electronic data from the client and in the process of printing by the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, provision of a system called network print system is becoming popular. In the network print system, a user uploads electronic data to a network print server (print data generation server) provided on the Internet, and requests generation of the print data. Then, the user downloads the print data from the server to an image forming apparatus installed at a public space such as a convenience store and has the data printed.
Using such a system, it becomes possible for an individual not having a printer to print high-quality documents. Therefore, rapid-spread of the system use was expected. Actually, however, penetration of the system is very late. Possible reasons are as follows.
In order to use such service, it is necessary for the user to register a document file with the server. In addition, in order to fully utilize the services provided by the system, it is necessary to have user registration before using the services. The registration procedure takes some time and, therefore, a busy user tends to avoid such trouble.
As a solution to such a problem, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-129007 (hereinafter referred to as '007 Reference) discloses a system in which, though user authentication is required when using a print server, a portable memory connectable to a client is provided and necessary pieces of information required for user authentication are all contained in the portable memory. Since user authentication takes place every time the user uses the print server, the print server can manage electronic data user by user. When the user accesses the print server from an image forming apparatus installed at a convenient store or the like, the user authentication also takes place using the same portable memory. The print server is capable of displaying a list of print data related only to the user on the image forming apparatus. The user can select the print data generated by the print server and have the data printed, by the similar procedure as when he/she selects a document using a general personal computer.
Though the system described in '007 Reference can save the trouble of log-in process after user registration, user registration itself must be done in the same manner as before. Therefore, the scheme proposed by '007 Reference is not effective to encourage users who has difficulty to make time for user registration to use the system.
Recently, as a system similar to the print service described above, a service referred to as cloud service has come to be popular. In the cloud service, data that has been saved in the user's own computer is saved in a server on the Internet, data that has been saved in the server on the Internet is printed, or an application stored in the server on the Internet is executed on a local computer. Therefore, wider use of the system is expected in the future. In order to use the cloud service, user registration is indispensable. Therefore, problems related to user registration for the print service as described above also arise in relation to the cloud service. In this regard, the print service can be considered as one type of cloud service.